Measuring the Economic and Fiscal Impacts of State High School Sport Championships

Douglas M. Turco

Host community leaders and private sector sponsors often judge the worthiness of a sporting event by the size of its financial contributions to the local economy. This article describes the methods used to measure the direct spending and subsequent local tax revenues generated by a state high school sporting event. Specifically, spending by non-resident spectators at the 1994 Illinois High School Asociation (IHSA) State Girls Basketball Championships was determined and applied to State of Illinois gross receipts and lodging tax rates to determine fiscal impacts.